Air temperature regulating device



Dec. 10, 1968 A. STAMM AIR TEMPERATURE REGULATING DEVICE Filed May 24, 1967 FIG.

INVENTOR ARTHUR A. STAMM ATTORNEY-$1 United States Patent 3,415,312 AIR TEMPERATURE REGULATING DEVICE Arthur Stamm, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., assignor to Pow R Matic Inc, Finksburg, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed May 24, 1967, Ser. No. 641,008 11 Claims. (Cl. 165-48) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compact and cfiicient heat exchange system or air temperature regulating device. The system itself contemplates use of a heat exchange means, a baffle or wall located to one side of the heat exchange means, an inlet and an outlet on the opposite side of the heat exchange means for creating an air flow from the inlet which is directed through a portion of the heat exchange means, and redirected by the battle or wall so that it passes to the outlet. The system can be used for heating alone or heating and cooling and is so constructed that the firing mechanism for the heat exchange means is disposed outside of the path of the air flow through the heat exchange means.

This invention relates to heat exchange systems and more particularly to a heat exchange system or air temperature regulating device that can be used for heating an enclosed area, or heating and cooling such an area. While various heat exchange means have previously been suggested for both residential and commercial or industrial heating applications, the prior suggestions were all generally subject to one or more rather severe limitations from either an economical standpoint, a safety standpoint, a size standpoint, or a noise standpoint.

For example, the conventional space heaters include a housing, a heat exchanger within the housing, a blower and an inlet and outlet located on opposite sides of the heat exchanger so that the air flow makes a single pass through the heat exchanger or past the heat exchange elements. Such heaters might be suspended from a ceiling, or even might be used in association with duct work to distribute the air to different vicinities within a building or the like being heated. Generally, the arrangement is such that it requires no obstruction on either side of the unit, such that it is large and must be placed within the building or the like. Even further, the firing mechanism for the heat exchanger, such as the gas burner or oil burner, is in the path of the air flow so that any malfunction thereof contaminates the air flow, alternatively, separate ducts are often used to circumvent the firing mechanism thus making the units larger and in turn more expensive. Even further, conventional systems often require a separate chimney and the heating and cooling elements are inside the building thus increasing the inside noise level.

There thus remained a need for a compact and efficient heat exchange system which is not subject to the aforesaid disadvantages, and the primary object of the present invention is to satisfy such need. More particularly, it is an object hereof to provide a heat exchange system which can be used for commercial, industrial or residential buildings, including houses, which can be located outside of the building to thus reduce the noise level, which does not require inside space or the use of an auxiliary chimney, which is self-contained and pro-packaged in such a manner that installation and servicing costs can be reduced,

and which is so constructed that the firing device associated therewith is independently vented or can be so vented as to preclude abnormal contamination of the air flow due to malfunction of said firing device.

3,415,312 Patented Dec. 10, 1968 Consistent with the preceding objects of the invention, it is a further object to provide such a unit which can be easily used in association with cooling means such as cooling coils that can either be initially provided as part of the structure or easily inserted or incorporated as part of the structure at a later date. Additionally, a significant object of the invention is to provide such a system wherein a wall or wafile is incorporated for the purpose of redirecting the flow of the air to be heated or cooled and which essentially serves to insulate a chamber for the firing mechanism through which the air normally travels whereby the firing chamber can be independently vented thus permitting the use of either gas or oil. Going one step further, it is an object to provide such a system wherein the heat exchanger can be electrical in nature while still yielding increased efliciency and conforming with the objects listed in the preceding paragraph.

From the standpoint of installation and servicing, a further object of the present invention is: to provide a unit which meets the above-named objects and yet incorporates a casing with easily removed walls or the like that give immediate access to the components which appear to be operating improperly. Furthermore, and within this object, the invention contemplates an arrangement which readily permits the incorporation of humidifiers and/or filters, including electronic filters, all without increasing the size of the unit or necessitating substantial reconstruction.

In a basic sense, the system hereof comprises an enclosure or enclosed area which for purposes of reference can be considered as having a forward end portion and a rearward end portion. The rearward end portion includes a rear wall effectively serving as a baffle and the forward end portion has spaced apart inlet and outlet openings. The heat exchange means is within the housing disposed rearwardly of the inlet and outlet openings and forwardly of the rear wall, and blower means are provided to provide an air screen of sufficient magnitude from the inlet opening to pass through the heat exchanger and encounter the rear wall with sufificient force to be redirected by that wall back through the heat exchanger to leave the unit from the outlet opening. Quite naturally, with any air flow, all air particles will not encounter or contact the rear wall as such, but at the same time, the rear wall serves to define the flow path. A cooling unit can be incorporated between the heat exchanger and the outlet so as to cool air in summer when the heat exchanger is not being fired. Moreover, the rear wall being so located permits the use of a firing mechanism on the opposite side of the wall from the heat exchanger so that the: air flow to and through the building is essentially outside of the path of the firing mechanism, thus permitting independent venting of the firing mechanism and still extremely compact construction.

The basic system, as previously indicated, can be used for any type of building whether it be a home, a commercial establishment, or an industrial establishment. For simplicity, however, the invention is described below in connection with an individual ceiling diffuser arrangement of conventional type. This description is made sub ject to the clear understanding that the invention is not limited to this specific use and instead can be employed in connection with an entire house duct system or other type distribution arrangement.

The invention will be better understood, and objects other than those specifically set forth above will become apparent, after reading the following description of an illustrative preferred embodiment. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a roofmounted combination heating-cooling air temperature regulating device according to a preferred embodiment of the instant invention and with a diffuser schematically shown as connected to the inlet and outlet of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the housing of the device of the instant invention showing the direction of the air flow; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of heat exchanger means used in conjunction with air temperature regulating device of this invention.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to FIGURE 1, an air temperature regulating device according to a preferred embodiment of the instant invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The device includes an enclosure or housing 12 within which is located a heat exchanger means 14, a blower means 16 and according to a preferred modification, a cooling means 18.

The housing 12 includes closed bottom, top, and side walls, 20, 22, 24 respectively, a rear wall or bafiie 26 and a front wall 28. The walls may define a single unitary enclosure, although they are preferably individual elements removably connected as by bolts 29 or the like, .and with suitable gasket material (not shown) included whereever necessary to prevent leakage or loss of the air flow, which placement is well known in the art. Portions of the forward end portion define inlet and outlet openings which, in the preferred embodiment are shown as 30 and 32 respectively located in the front wall 28 with the outlet 32 disposed vertically below the inlet 30. The inlet and outlet openings 30, 32 may be located, however in that portion of the bottom, top or side walls 20, 22, 24 which is located in the forward end portion of the housing. Inlet and outlet ducts 34 and 36, respectively, may connect the inlet and outlet openings 30, 32 to diffuser 38 which may take any conventional form, the construction illustrated incorporating means for drawing air into the device 10 in the direction of the arrows 40 and means for dispersing temperature-regulated air in the direction of the arrows 42. Of course, other suitable means may be substituted for the diffuser shown in FIGURE 1.

The blower means 16 is operatively associated with the inlet opening 30 through which it draws air, and may be of any type known in the .art, such as a fan or a centrifugal blower. The blower means 16 is schematically represented in FIGURE 1 as a fan, but it is not limited thereto. The type and size are determined by the specific requirements of the installation, but the blower means 16 must be of suflicient magnitude to create an air flow from the inlet opening 30 toward the heat exchanger means 14 with suflicient force that the flow of air is redirected by the rear wall 26 of the housing 12 to exit from the outlet opening 32. The housing 12 also contains a baflie element 21 extending rearwardly from the front wall 28 toward the heat exchanger means 14 and positioned intermediate the inlet and outlet openings 30, 32. The baflle element 21, together with the bottom, top, and side walls 20, 22, 24 defines an upper inlet conduit and a lower outlet conduit within the housing 12. The blower means 16 may be mounted within the inlet conduit.

The heat exchanger means 14 may also take a variety of forms, although a preferred means is illustratively shown as incorporated into the device 10 in FIGURE 1, and a more detailed perspective view of this means being shown in FIGURE 3.

The flow of air is directed by its own force rearwardly toward the upper portion of the heat exchanger means 14 which is mounted in the rearward end portion of the housing 12 and is disposed forwardly to the rear wall 26. The size and configuration of the heat exchanger means 14 will, to a great extent, dictate the dimensions of the complete installation. The heat exchanger means shown in FIGURE 3 comprises a centrally positioned vertically extending, combustion heating chamber 50 with two vertically extending secondary heating chambers 52, each positioned to one side of the combustion chamber 50 and connected therewith by a duct 54 to carry hot combustion gases from the combustion heating chamber 50 to the secondary heating chambers 52. A combustion means 27 is located externally of the enclosed housing 12, rearwardly of the heat exchanger means 50 and is operatively connected thereto. There is an additional enclosed housing member 25 defining a chamber which encloses the fuel burner, or combustion means 27 and having a vent 23 to the outside. The rear wall 26 acts as a baffle separating the combustion means 27 from the air whose temperature is being regulated. This protects the clean, circulating air from soot or other contaminants caused by possible incomplete combustion or combustion means malfunction. The upper portion of the chambers 50, 52 is horizontally aligned with the inlet opening 30 .and the lower portion is horizontally aligned with the outlet opening 32. It will be readily obvious that the upper portion of the secondary heating chambers 52 will be relatively hotter than the lower portion since the hot gases enter at the top and then circulate through the chambers. Due to this fact and in the interests of efiiciency and economy, the inward flow of air is directed toward the upper portion of the heat exchanger means 14 first. A sufiicient space is left between the combustion heating chamber 50 and the secondary heating chambers 52 and the walls of the enclosure 12, for air to flow through and completely surround the chambers 50 and 52.

The path of the flow of air is controlled by the relative placement of the various components and also by the force of the blower means 16 which is of suificient capacity that the air is directed rearwardly toward the upper portion of the heat exchanger means 14 where it is then redirected by the rear wall 26 of the enclosure 12 and is deflected downwardly without the use of ducts. The air cannot reverse its direction by due to the force of the incoming .air and so it follows the path of least resisttance by flowing downwardly and outwardly away from the lower portion of the heat exchanger 16. The air then flows through the cooling means 18 which could be the cooling coils of a conventional refrigeration apparatus or any other cooling means known in the art, and through the outlet 32. The air cooling means 18 is operatively disposed in the outlet conduit formed by the baflie element 21 and the bottom and side walls 20, 24 of the housing 12. In FIGURE 1 both the inlet 30 and the outlet 32 are shown connected to a ceiling mounted diffuser 38, but, again, any well known means of distributing the conditioned air may be used.

The path of the air flow through the enclosure 12 is shown in FIGURE 2. It will be seen that the dimension C of the enclosure 12 is determined by the size of the heat exchanger 14 and is relatively small.

Since the flow of air is dependent on the relative placement of the various components and on the force of the blower means 16, it will be obvious that if the blower means 16 is located in the lower conduit and the cooling means 18 is located in the upper conduit, said conduits being defined by the aforementioned baffle element 21 and the bottom, top, and side walls 20, 22, 24, the direction of the air flow will be reversed without changing the principle of operation. The inlet opening 30, with which the blower means 16 is operatively associated, would then be located below the outlet opening 32, with which the cooling means 18 is operatively associated.

As shown in the preferred embodiment, the air temperature regulating device of this invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices. The unit is compact, being dependent only on the operative components for its dimensions rather than on extraneous ductwork which creates additional heat loss surface, as well as bulk. Further, the device of this invention is more efficient than the prior art devices because of the double pass of the air flow through the heat exchanger means. In the first pass through the relatively hotter upper portion of the heat exchanger means the air How is immediately redirected by the rear wall of the housing to pass through the lower portion of the heat exchanger means where it is additionally heated before being distributed to the area to be heated.

compactness and efficiency are combined in the feature of this device which allows the inlet and the outlet to be located both at the front of the housing without the use of internal ductwork. Because of this device may be located in an area of the building which only affords limited space.

While a roof-mounted unit is shown in this preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the air temperature regulating device of this invention may be floormounted or suspension-mounted from a ceiling or wall. In any event it is in an enclosed housing and uses conventional means such as diffusers or ducts for distributing the conditioned air. The control means for the device which include thermostats, switches, relays and the like, are well known in the art and need no further discussion. It is clear, however that the heating means and the cooling means, if included in the device, will be selectively operated for regulating the temperature of the air. Additional cooling apparatus such as compressors, etc. may be provided whether within or without the housing. This, of course, does not preclude the use of an electrically operated heat exchanger which would eliminate the need for a combustion means.

While there is shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but my be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly,

What is claimed is:

1. An air temperature regulating device comprising a longitudinally extending enclosed housing including a forward end portion and a rearward end portion, said rearward end portion including a rear wall, said forward end portion having separate inlet and outlet openings, a longitudinally extending baffle element within said forward end portion of said housing, said ibaffle element being positioned intermediate said inlet opening and said outlet opening, said baffle element together with portions of said housing defining an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit within said housing, a heat exchanger means within said housing forming a plurality of air heating passages therethrough, said heat exchanger means being disposed rearwardly of said inlet and outlet conduits and forwardly of said rear wall, and blower means, said blower means being sufficient to create an air flow from said inlet opening, through said inlet conduit, rearwardly toward heat exchanger means with sufiicient force that the air flow is redirected by said rear wall forwardly toward said heat exchanger means, and through said outlet conduit, to exit from said outlet opening.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said forward end portion includes a front wall, said inlet and outlet openings being defined by portions of said front wall.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said inlet opening is vertically spaced above said outlet opening, and said heat exchanger means includes at least one vertically extending heating chamber having an upper portion horizontally aligned with said inlet duct and a lower portion horizontally aligned with said outlet duct, and a heating means in said lower portion of said heating chamber.

4. An air temperature regulating device comprising an enclosed housing a forward end portion and a rearward end portion, said rearward end portion including a rear wall, said forward end portion having separate inlet and outlet openings said inlet opening being vertically spaced above said outlet opening, a heat exchanger means within said housing disposed rearwardly of said inlet and outlet openings and forwardly of said rear wall, said heater exchanger means comprising a centrally positioned, vertically extending, combustion heating chamber and one vertically extending, secondary heating chamber spaced on each side of said combustion heating chamber, each of said heating chambers having an upper portion horizontally aligned with said inlet opening and a lower portion horizontally aligned with said outlet opening, a combustion means operatively connected to said lower portion of said combustion heating chamber, and duct means interconnecting said upper portion of said combustion heating chamber with said upper portions of said secondary heating chamber with said upper portions of said secondary heating chamber, said combustion heating chamber being sufficiently spaced from each of said secondary heating chambers for said flow of air to pass therethrough, and blower means being of sufficient magnitude to create an air flow from said inlet opening toward said heat exchanger means with suflicient force that the air flow is redirected by said rear wall to exit from said outlet opening.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said combustion means includes a fuel burning means located rearwardly of said heat exchanger means and wherein there is provided an additional enclosed housing member surrounding said fuel burning means having vent means to the outside, said rear wall forming a baffle element between said heat exchanger means and said fuel burning means.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said blower means is operatively disposed in said inlet conduit.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein air cooling means is operatively disposed in said outlet conduit, said heating means and said cooling means being selectively operated for regulating the temperature of said air.

8. The device of claim 1 further including diffuser means operatively associated with said outlet opening for dispersing temperature-regulated air.

9. An air temperature regulating device comprising an enclosed housing including a forward portion and a rearward portion, said rearward portion including a rear wall, said forward portion having separate inlet and outlet openings, a bafile element within said forward portion of said housing, said baffle element being positioned intermediate said inlet opening and said outlet opening, said baffie element together with portions of said housing defining an elongated inlet conduit and an elongated outlet conduit within said housing, a heat exchanger means within said housing forming a plurality of air heating passages therethrough, said heat exchanger means being disposed rearwardly of said inlet and outlet conduits and forwardly of said rear wall, and blower means, said blower means being sufficient to create an air flow from said inlet opening, through said inlet conduit, rearwardly toward said heat exchanger means with sufficient force that a major portion of the air flow is redirected by said rear wall forwardly toward said heat exchanger means, and through said outlet conduit, to exist from said outlet opening.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger means has a combustion means operatively connected thereto, said combustion means including a fuel burning means located rearwardly of said heat exchanger means, and wherein there is provided an additional enclosed housing member surrounding said fuel burning means having vent means to the outside, said rear wall forming a baffle element between said heat exchanger means and said fuel burning means.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein said heat exchanger means has a combustion means operatively connected thereto, said combustion means including a fuel burning means located rearwardly of said heat exchanger means, and wherein there is provided an additional enclosed housing member surrounding said fuel burning means having vent means to the outside, said rear wall 7 8 forming a baflie element between said heat exchanger 2,620,786 12/1952 Mueller. means and said fuel burning means. 2,923,287 2/1960 Murphy 126-110 3,033,096 5/1962 Aitken. References Cited 3,270,738 9/1966 Nielsen 126-410 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 1,994,184 3/1935 W1111ams 126-110 X 2,083,493 6/1937 Herbert 126-1 10 2,318,393 5/1943 Honerkamp et a1. 165-122; 126110 

